1701 Brut Nature, Franciacorta

An incredible sparkling wine that will, unsurprisingly, make you wonder why so many Champagnes steal the limelight in this wonderful category! It really is delicious, made from certified organic and biodynamic vineyards, it delivers gorgeous flavours of green and red apples with a bright citrus twang, finishing with sophisticated notes of brioche and cashew on a long an satisfying layered finish. Extremely well-structured and fresh, this is made in the Brut Nature style, which means that it is the driest of the sparkling wine styles, making it absolutely wonderful with food!

Made in the most classic of fashions, this is very much a hand made wine and a labour of love. This is a wine made from a small selection of the best grapes gown in the Franciacorta subzone of Cazzago San Martino in Lombardia, in between Brescia and Bergamo, just as the Alps begin to rise. This natural amphitheatre allows for the perfect ripening of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes while the altitude allows the grapes to retain their freshness and acidity. Then there is also a large impact from the nearby Lago Iseo, which acts as a superb climatic regulator, as its heat retention prevents frosts in the winter and its humidity prevents overheating in summer.

This is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir, reflecting the 11 hectare breakdown of vineyards which are made up of 8 and 3 hectares respectively. Fermented in stainless steel and concrete tanks before second fermentation in bottles, this wine is then aged on its lees for 24 months, allowing the complexity and texture to develop wonderfully.

This is stunning wine.

The 1701 winery took its name from a 3 hectare, walled vineyard on the property called 'Brolo' that was recorded as having wine made from its grapes in the year 1701. The wall of the vineyard was built in the 11th century, showing for just how long the region has been recognised as a place for really great grapes. The winery is run by siblings Silvia and Federico Stefini, who bought the property in 2011, with the stated aim of making quality wines that are innovative and traditional.

Franciacorta is a region that specifically makes sparkling wines - it literally means "French short" or French Part, like a courtyard, and although some sparkling wine has been made here since the 16th-Century, it was only in the late 1950s that winemakers began to really explore the region as a place for very fine quality sparkling making. It then took until 1967 for the region to gain its DOCG status and, since then, it has more than realised its potential, creating a reputation as one of the best regions for sparkling wine in the world.